On Tuesday 23 September, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) approved the own-initiative report by Sandro Gozi (Renew Europe, Italian) on “the institutional consequences of European Union enlargement negotiations” (see EUROPE 13673/2).
In particular, the report recommends changing the European budget and its rule of 1% of the EU’s gross national income (GNI), reforming the composition of the European institutions and the rules of qualified majority voting to give “more weight” to the smallest member countries, and abandoning unanimity in the EU Council during the intermediate stages of the accession process for candidate countries (see EUROPE 13714/22).
MEPs are also calling on the European Council to act on the European Parliament’s activation of the ordinary institutional reform procedure provided for in Article 48 of the Treaty (see EUROPE 12968/17).
Several amendments relating to the key role of national parliaments in the accession process, the role of civil society and Parliament’s right to scrutinise and influence the process were added by the elected representatives.
The report will be put to the vote at Parliament’s second plenary session in October.
See the compromise amendments: https://aeur.eu/f/ikx (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)